Abstract

Recent biomedical advancements, cultural practices, and individual preferences have altered the ways in which biological process such as menstruation are perceived and managed. Increasingly, women are interested in suppressing menstruation to alleviate its negative symptoms, including bloating, menstrual cramps, fatigue, and irritability. This topic is especially relevant for adolescent girls, as mothers and daughters might have to negotiate attitudes towards daughters’ menstrual suppression. Therefore this study aims to examine how this topic is discussed and understood within the mother-daughter dyad. It is also important to consider how these attitudes are shaped by cultural background, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and religion. Through this knowledge health care providers can have a more holistic understanding of how their patients’ view menstruation. If health care providers know these basic demographics and the perspectives on this issue, they can be better prepared in administering information and educating their patients. My data collection included literature review, a five category survey, and participant observation in a clinical setting. There were 72 mother-daughter pairs with a total of 144 participants that completed designated surveys for mothers and daughters that had a total of five categories emphasizing participant details, menstrual cycle, reproductive health history, attitudes towards their period and menstrual suppression. Through the experiences of my participants I have found that there is a great desire to learn more of menstrual suppression among both mothers and daughters and that there is some degree of influence of religion and ethnicity on perceptions of menstrual suppression in this population. Age on the other hand, turned out to not be an important factor shaping the positive or negative attitudes toward suppression.

Thesis Completion

2016

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Mishtal, Joanna

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

May 2016

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